A little obsessive.

Since the time of Michael Cohen, I have been “paying attention” to photos of politicians. Okay Cohen was just so obvious and weird, I had to draw him – I mean come on what was the purpose of that gods-awful check suit he wore sitting outside the courthouse smoking cigars when he was “too busy” to show up in court. I drew him daily for a while, never really getting much better but learning a lot. Joe Manchin was another subject. His neck in particular is very intriguing.

I’ve been working on Stormy Daniels and this amazing photo –

So evocative*, so brilliantly composed, and so brilliantly rendered in b&w by somebody who knows their stuff. The fervor (subliminal violence?) of all the men surrounding her trying to grab a piece of her with their cameras.The arms of her security, forming a protected space around her. That man behind her with the enormous black stone of a camera threatening to bring it down on her.

Ms. Daniel’s face –

This wasn’t where I was intending to go but here I am, and so I’ll stop. I encourage you to think about why a particular photo was chosen, because it’s interesting. Maybe tomorrow I’ll talk about what I thought I was going to say.

• André Kertész and the decisive moment; Caravaggio and his drama and his group scenes with all action directed to the pivotal figure. This is what a degree in art history prepares you for.

Not all crazy shit.

There’s a movie coming out: https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/may/08/indigo-girls-homophobia-hope-barbie-its-only-life-after-all

There’s a cultural thing, “Happy Days”, Fonzie so cool he jumps a shark waterskiing or something, the point where it’s just stupid absurdity. I think we’re there.

Socialist ranting.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/apr/24/in-the-us-they-think-were-communists-the-70000-workers-showing-the-world-another-way-to-earn-a-living

The local college has been grossly mismanaged and now they’re flailing, and the community has been awash with ideas on what the trustees should be doing. I think this sort of co-operative, coupled with Lake Superior studies, riverine studies, you name it – is just the ticket for financial stability. But it’s socialism, so nah, go bankrupt instead. The executives have already cut and run, so no actual loss – except to the community and the credibility of higher education and . . . Students have mostly transferred out, it’s a moot point right now. But there’s three or four campus dorms that would make great communal living sites.

Secular holidays.

I was discussing tis category with friends the other day, and look what popped up today?-

From Digby’s place – https://digbysblog.net/2024/04/23/happy-disinfectant-injection-day/

You should go there; there’s a Sarah Cooper drunk trump imitation there.

Earth Day, 2024

Apparently, Interior Department secretary Deb Haaland is pissing people off, what with protecting the land and water and stuff. And weirdly, Earth Day is a product of Richard Nixon? I used to think Republicans were amoral bastards. Time has proven that they were actually not horrible people, compared to what goes on today.

So cheers! I toast you with a glass of wild-sourced water from the Artesian springs that flow clear and cold into Lake Superior. May we ever be able to do so.

Caravaggio.

I always come back to him. Like I said, bad boys.

He’s having a moment –

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/apr/16/last-caravaggio-review-national-gallery-london-martyrdom-of-saint-ursula

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/apr/20/rule-breaker-for-the-ages-why-caravaggio-is-our-screen-ages-art-superstar

And there’s the question of the boy –

Amor vincet omnia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amor_Vincit_Omnia_(Caravaggio)

Is he David?

David with the head of Goliath – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_with_the_Head_of_Goliath_(Caravaggio,_Rome)

And here –

The Entombment – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Entombment_of_Christ_(Caravaggio)

It’s a beautiful sunny day today; high winds bright white clouds trees blooming.

“Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things.
Some shall be pardon’d, and some punished,”

Immersed in the world these days.

That music thing has kind of taken over my head.

It’s an interesting duality, maybe a spectrum. Now I have to look at people through yet another lens? No, at some point no more light will get through, and we don’t want that.

From this youtube about Glenn Gould:

Maybe he’s another trickster.

Caption this photo.

Because I am at a loss.

(They all look like balloons, bobbing along, hopping on one leg. I am curious about the understructure of the garments – whalebone or metal?)

From The Guardian, an article about clowns and how a lot of people don’t like them and kids almost universally distrust them; which makes total sense, what with their actually being The Trickster.

Trickster Makes This World – I’ve read this one, very fun.

Native American Tricksters of Myth and Legend – a listing of Trickster characters

And the trickster from the tarot gets mythologized –

Coyote, Hermes, The Raven, Loki – I do love a bad boy. Let’s pretend it’s a sophisticated understanding of the Absurd.

“Salus populi suprema lex esto”

“The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law”

I got onto this tangent through an article at The Guardian; https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/24/rhik-samadder-my-80-year-old-mother-lives-an-avant-garde-life

I suspect I’ve ranted to you before about community. I’ve worked on community theater productions, helped at school art demos. I was a Girl Scout Leader, for goodness sake! And a poor one at that. I volunteered to be a poll worker. Currently, I’m playing with a local baroque consort.

Stupidhead died a few years ago, but at the end he was doing something that I could see was very dear to him, that he had been edging towards his whole life, that had engaged him fully – and I decided I wanted that epitaph for myself. So I took out my violin, joined Duolingo to learn Russian, and started drawing again/more.

Duolingo changed their format, so I dropped them (and Russian, mostly). Sketchbooks and pencils litter my life still, although they cry out for more attention. The violin, however –

The violin sounded terrible*, so I put on viola strings, which sounded less bad. Then a bolt from the blue, a decent viola I could just barely afford. When that bolt struck, I realized that I was cosmically obligated to go out into the world and do the thing. I’ve been playing with them PUBLICLY for a year.

Sunday’s concert was (mostly) Vivaldi. I got to perform two of the Four Seasons.

Y’all, I am a real person.

So yes! Once again, wrest control of the machinery from the overlords! Listen to performers on Tik Tok; buy art from the barista with the cool tattoos. Go to the plays at your community theater and see if they don’t bring tears to your eyes with their grace and their beauty. We’re all in this together; we should sing together.

the co-op had violets; i was compelled.

*oh, nota bene; it depends on who you ask. if they want to sell you an instrument, they will say NONONO to viola strings on a violin. if they want to sell you strings, hell yes you can put viola strings on a violin. also, the internet keeps breaking down my pre-conceived ideas like mad. love you, internet.

and yes, the violin sounded terrible for the obvious reason – that I hadn’t played much in years. but now it’s a violin again, I’ve been playing, and it still sounds terrible. it’s going in for a tuneup soon.

also, viola; so cool. C note for that C string! if you’re lucky. i was totally sold on a new C string, till I saw that it was $138 American. Still thinking about it though.

Screaming into the abyss.

Found on Digby – https://digbysblog.net/2024/03/12/qotd-26/

Just sayin’. (I have rump derangement syndrome and even I hadn’t considered maybe he buried documents along with his ex-wife.) (Tangentially – where’s Ivana’s body?)

Also from Digby – https://digbysblog.net/2024/03/11/are-you-better-off-than-you-were-four-years-ago-today/

Yes let’s re-elect this psycho.

I have an escape plan. Do you? (Making lists; short-term for climate-change-induced wildfires; long-term flee the country. Awesome. This is America.)